Reel



C. I. EARLL Jan. 2, 1934.

REEL

w ME

C. I. EARLL Jan. 2, 1934.

REEL

Filed Sept. 21, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Jan. 2,

UNITED STATES REEL Charles I.Earll, York, Pa.

Application September 21, 1931 Serial No. 563,941

8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in reels for paying out and taking in a flexible cord such as a clothes line. The object of my improvements is to provide a reel which shall pay out and automatically take in the rope or line with relatively light tension, and have means by which the tension on the rope, after it has been withdrawn and its end secured, may be increased and maintained to any desired extent, while the line 1 is in use, and then be readily released from the increased tension preparatory to having the line rewound into the reel. The object is, further, to provide a reel in which springs and other mechanism which actuate the drum and the rope are fully protected from the weather. A further object is to produce a reel of this class which shall have abundant capacity and be of such light construction that it is easily and readily handled.

In the specification the word reel is used to 2 refer to the mechanism as a whole while the term drum is employed to refer to the member on which the rope is wound.

My invention consists in providing a suitable case in which a drum is rotatively mounted, in providing a spring or springs in a closed chamber within the drum adapted to rotate the reel, in providing a gear secured to or forming a part of the drum, a pinion and a shaft on which said pinion is mounted and means whereby said pinion 3 is caused to automatically engage said gear when the shaft is turned in one direction and to automatically disengage said gear when it is. turned in the opposite direction, including means for holding the drum against rotation until the pinion has been disengaged. And my invention consists in other features which will be hereinafter described.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification Fig. 1 is an axial section on line 1, 1, of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2, 2, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation and Fig. 4 is a bottom View showing a section on line 3,3 of the Fig. 3.

The case comprises two similar oppositely disposed shells 4 and 5, preferably made of sheet metal, having flanges 6 and 7 adapted to be bolted or otherwise secured together. Centrally located in the case is the hollow shaft 8 having the hub 9 secured to one end and the cap 10 at the other. 50 The hub 9 has an inwardly projecting sleeve 11 which extends through the shell 4 of the case and into the spring chamber 12 and the part within said spring chamber is provided with a groove adapted to be engaged by the inner end of the spring 26 occupying said chamber. Exterior to the case the hub 9 is provided with a flange 13 which is adapted to be engaged by a pawl 14 mounted on the case to prevent the spring from turning in an unwinding direction. The cap 10 bears in the central opening on the shell 5, and it is provided with an oil cup l5.which communicates with the interior of the hollow shaft 8. In the embodiment shown in the drawings there are four similar spring chambers arranged in pairs and formed by the recess cases 16 and the partitionplates 17. These cases are preferably made of sheet metal and have outwardly extending flanges by means of which they are secured to the partition plates 17.

18 is a sleeve loosely mounted on the shaft 8 having its ends extending into the adjacent spring chambers 27 and 28 to engage the inner ends of the springs in those chambers. 19 is an inwardly extending sleeve rigidly secured to the flange 20 of the drum; This flange is preferably made of a casting and of a thickness suit.- able to have the gear teeth 22 formed upon it. The opposite flange oi thedrum 21 is preferably formed of sheet metal and the two flanges are connected by a shell 23 in the manner shown. The outer ends of the springs are engaged by means of an opening 24 with the cases 16. The hub '9 is provided with. holes 25 for the insertion of a rod with which to turn it to wind up .the springs. The successive springs in the four spring chambers formed by'the spring cases as above described are numbered consecutively 26, 27, 28,- and 29. When the hub'9 is, turned in the direction of the arrow a, Fig. 2, the sleeve 11 will wind'up the spring 26. This will tend to turn the spring case and wind up the spring 27. This spring 27 will turn the sleeve 18 and the turning of the sleeve 18 will wind up the spring 28 and this in turn will wind up the spring 29 and by means of its engagement with the sleeve 19 turn the reel. The central openings in the partition plates 17 are made of smaller diameter than the diameter of the sleeve 11, sleeve 18 and sleeve 19 so as to prevent a sleeve in one chamber from coming in contact with the spring in the adjacent chamber. At the same time the partition plates being secured to the flanges of the spring cases greatly strengthen the spring cases. When springs of this character are permitted to unwind rapidly and particularly if a spring breaks the high velocity acquired and the sudden stop when it comes up against the case is very apt to injure the case unless it has considerable strength. By means of this construction much lighter spring cases can be used.

30 is a housing secured to the shell 5 of the case. It carries the shaft 31 having a crank 32 secured to its outer end. It is provided with a threaded portion 33 on which is mounted the pinion 34 so that if the shaft is turned in one direction, to the right as shown in Fig. 2, arrow b, and the pinion is restrained from turning, the pinion will be carried. towards the fiange 20 and come into: engagement with the teeth 22. 35 is a collar rigidly secured to the shaft 31 to limit the inward travel of the pinion and to cause the pinion to turn with the shaft when it comes up. against said collar. 36 is a spring mounted on the shaft having one end pressing against the collar 37 and the opposite end against. the shaft bearing 38 tending to push said shaft inwardly, that is towards the gear teeth, at the same time it permits the shaft to be pushed outwardly in case the teeth of the pinion come in contact with the face of the teeth of the gear while the shaft is being turned in a direction to cause engagement- Thev pinion isprevented from turning until it engages the collar 35 impositively by means of: a pawl 39 mounted in. the housing" 30 and having a spring 40 which causesv it to press against the teeth of the pinion.. When the pinion engages the collar 35 and its teeth have come into; engagement with the teeth 22 of: the gear the further turning: of the crank will rotate the reel in a direction to wind up the rope and the engagement of the. pawl 39' with. the. teeth. of the pinion willpositively prevent the pinion from turning in the direction which. would permit the unwinding of rope from the drum. When it is desired to disengage the pinion from the gear and thus release.- the rope from heavy tension, the shaft 31 is turned in the opposite direction to arrow b, Fig. 2 and this causes the pinion tobe: withdrawn from engagement with the gear.

Having. thus described my invention whatv I claimisz:

l. The combination with a drum, a spring adapted to rotate said drum to wind. rope thereon, and a manually operable rotatable member, of mechanism operated by said member to rotate said drum in rope winding direction and to lock it against unwinding, when said member is turned in one direction, and to release said drum when said member is turned in the: opposite direction.

2. The combination with a drum and a. spring adapted to rotate said drum to wind rope thereon, of means independent of said spring adapted to rotate said drum in a rope winding direction including means operated automatically by the operation of said first named means adapted to be put into operative position by said rotating means to retain the drum against unwinding.

3. The combination with a rotatably mounted drum adapted to receive a rope and a spring adapted to rotate said drum to Wind rope thereon, of a gear secured to said drum, a pinion adapted to be put into engagement with said gear to turn the drum in a rope winding direction and means automatically preventing unwinding motion of said. drum while said pinion is in engagement and permitting-unwinding motion when said pinion is disengaged.

4. The combination with a spring actuated drum having a gear secured at one end thereof, ashaft, means for turning said shaft and mechanism connected with said shaft whereby turning: said shaft in one direction causes said mechanism to engage and rotate said gear and drum in a. rope winding direction and turning it in the opposite direction causes disengagement of said mechanism, said mechanism including means for holding the drum against turning in said opposite directionduring the engagement of said mechanism.

5. The combination with a rope drum, a spring acting upon said drum torotate it in a rope winding direction, said drumv having a gear secured to it, of a shaft, a pinion mounted on said shaft, means for causing said pinion to engage said gear when said shaft is rotated in one direction and to disengage when said shaft it rotated in the opposite direction and meansfor preventing said pinion from turning in said opposite direction.

6. The combination with a rope drum having a gear secured thereto and a spring acting upon said drum to turn it in a rope winding direction, of a. shaft, a pinion on said shaft in threaded engagement therewith, and means which impositively resist the turning of said pinion when said shaft is. turned in the direction which carries the pinion into engagement with said gear, and positively resist its turning in the opposite direction.

7. The combination with a drum, having a. gear at one end, of a spring to rotate said drum, a shaft having threaded portion, a pinion on said shaft in threaded engagement therewith, a pawl engaging. said pinion adapted to impositively resist the turning of said pinion when the shaft is turned in the direction to move the pinion into engagementwith said gear and to positively resist its turning in the opposite direction.

8-. The combination with a drum, having a gear at one end, of a spring to rotate said drum, a shaft having threaded portion, a pinion on said shaft in threaded engagement therewith, a pawl engaging. said pinion and a spring acting on said shaft tending to move it longitudinally.

CHARLES I. EARLL. 

